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My name is Ashley Garner and I’m a senior at Florida International University double majoring in Photography and Art History. Living in Miami, I always see men and women dressing so creatively, incorporating different cultures, vibrant colors and the South Beach vibe into their outfits. It’s almost impossible for me to not be inspired just walking around my campus. Originally, I come from a small town in the foothills of North Carolina and had to wear a uniform for my first several years of schooling, so to be in a city like Miami where some of the world’s most innovative minds come from is such an exciting experience for me.

In my four years living here I’ve gained lots of experience in the fashion industry working as a fashion model, photographer, writer, stylist and fashion editor. I’ve also spent the past year creating a body of work for my school about how personal style is an art. The reason I love fashion is because it’s one of the purest, most honest forms of art. It’s art you create consciously or unconsciously, every single day. Through clothing I’ve been able to express so many things about myself that I wouldn’t have been able to in any other medium. It allows me to bring a fantasy into my reality and create a world that’s completely mine.

I’m ecstatic to be a part of the CollegeFashionista team this semester and to share all the amazing people and outfits I get to see every day. At my school there’s no fashion department, so everyone I see isn’t influenced by the fashion industry like I am. They don’t know who Karl Lagerfeld or Anna Wintour is; they’re dressing themselves in innovative ways because that’s who they are, not because of what they see. They’re expressing what the core of the fashion industry is all about: personal style and an innate sense of self. To me that’s the most inspiring thing anyone could ever do and I can’t wait to start sharing it with the CollegeFashionista community.